Malloy looks to shield horse owners

Shannon Pleines is photographed with a 14-year-old miniature pony, Sparkles, left, and Cash, right, a 6-year-old paint horse at Shannon Equine in Woodbridge in 2013.

Shannon Pleines is photographed with a 14-year-old miniature pony, Sparkles, left, and Cash, right, a 6-year-old paint horse at Shannon Equine in Woodbridge in 2013.

Photo: ARNOLD GOLD — NEW HAVEN REGISTER FILE PHOTO

Photo: ARNOLD GOLD — NEW HAVEN REGISTER FILE PHOTO

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Shannon Pleines is photographed with a 14-year-old miniature pony, Sparkles, left, and Cash, right, a 6-year-old paint horse at Shannon Equine in Woodbridge in 2013.

Shannon Pleines is photographed with a 14-year-old miniature pony, Sparkles, left, and Cash, right, a 6-year-old paint horse at Shannon Equine in Woodbridge in 2013.

Photo: ARNOLD GOLD — NEW HAVEN REGISTER FILE PHOTO

Malloy looks to shield horse owners

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Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has proposed a bill designed to shield horse owners from the potential consequences of state Supreme Court case weighing whether horses are inherently “vicious” animals.

The bill would clarify that domesticated horses in general are not “inherently dangerous” and do not “possess a vicious propensity.” Under the legislation, individual horses may be found to be vicious on a case-by-case. The bill also applies to domesticated ponies, donkeys, and mules.

Malloy’s legislation comes as the court is considering a lower court decision pertaining to a lawsuit stemming from a 2006 incident when a horse bit a young child at a farm in Milford. In 2012, a state Appellate Court concluded that horses were both vicious and inclined to mischief. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the case in September, but has not yet issued a decision.

Andrew Doba, a spokesman for Malloy, said the governor has spent a lot of time with the state’s agriculture industry and saw an opportunity to protect Connecticut horse owners and businesses.